On Melancholy Hill
by AppleCiderr
Summary: After the dreaded Civil War, Ross claimed to have found Tony Stark dead in his home. Several years later, the Accords are nullified, and the Avengers are able to come home. They mourn being unable to apologize to Tony before his death, but still move on. That is, until Steve finds a hidden message left behind by the supposedly dead Tony Stark. No, not a message.. A warning.


Munich, Germany

* * *

The newspaper stand was the crowded it had been in a long time, several dozens of people scrambling to grab the papers as they chattered about the exact reason they were there. When people paid for the papers, they wouldn't go far, simply moving to the side and opening up the papers. Those who were impatient or simply couldn't buy one would then close in on them, attempting to read along.

It was when the initial crowd began to fade that a hooded figure came forward. His eyes scanned the stand, watching the old man pick up more stacks of the paper and place them on the front. He walked through the puddles of the previous night's rain, coming up to the stand.

" _What's everyone freaking out about?_ " The hooded man asked in German, causing the older man to jump, having not heard the man approach.

Turning his blue eyes over, he replied," _You haven't heard about it? It's been all over the news!_ "

The hooded man's hands went into his pockets, shrugging his shoulders. " _Well.. I've been off the grid recently.._ " He muttered,"World news hasn't exactly been my focus."

The older man gave him a look, before picking up one of the newspapers and showing it to him. " _It's the Avengers, they're being pardoned for their crimes, and they removed the Accords,_ " He excitedly explained, happy to spread the news.

Though he couldn't see the man's mouth, as it was obscured by a sick mask, he saw the eyes widen slightly. " _Really?_ " He croaked.

" _Crazy, right?_ " The man quipped.

" _Yes.. Crazy.._ " The hooded man whispered.

The older man sat down, his thumb running across his desk. " _Kind of sad this happened after Tony Stark's death though, I wonder what he would have thought about all this, considering he was trying help fix those Accords before his heart gave out.._ " He queried aloud.

The hooded man froze for a moment, before he replied," _I wonder that sometimes too.._ " Digging into his pocket, and pulling out some Euros to pay for the paper in question. After paying, though, he did not remain lurking around the stand like the others. Instead, he walked far away, deep into the crowd of the city.

After taking several sharp turns, he found himself in an alleyway near the docks. Finally stopping, he unrolled the paper, brown eyes scanning over the headline, and reading the main article.

 _'After the news of Barnes' framing by the now imprisoned Zemo was revealed, the United States government took a closer look at the Accords. As of today, all the ex-Avengers have been pardoned and are returning to the states to continue protecting the people of the world.'_

The man chuckled slightly, moving to hold it with one hand. "Wonder how they got that one around Ross.." He said in English.

His free hand moved up, yanking the black hood down along with mask on his face. Underneath those layers was the supposedly dead Tony Stark. His hair, which used to be chocolate brown, now was bleach blonde, much longer, and fell into his surprisingly pale and younger face.

A smirk played on his lips for a moment longer, until his eyes caught sight of the picture. It was an image of all the Avengers coming off the jet, led by Steve. A sad, worried frown appeared on his face, and he whispered,"Be careful, Capsicle.. I have a feeling that your pardoning isn't as innocent as you probably think. Things aren't going to stay sunshine and rainbows for long.."

Fearful that he may have stayed in one place too long, as one in Tony's situation could never be too careful, he knew he had to leave. Pulling up the hood and face mask, he quickly took off out the opposite end of the alley, leaving the newspaper to sog in the muddy puddles.

The front page, however, was tucked away safely in his pocket.

* * *

The Same Time

New Avengers Facility, Upstate New York

* * *

As he stood at the very front of the compound, with all those thoughts bubbling over in his brain, he knew there was only one that remained firm.

He was home.

Even with that thought in mind, he could not stop the apprehension and anxiety that flowed through him in waves. When he looked at the other Avengers around him, he noticed they all seemed to share the same looks. _Well, at least I'm not the only nervous one_ He thought, albeit a bit of a selfish thought.

Taking a deep breath, Steve took the initiative, and stalked forward to the door. His shaky hand pulled the door open, and he walked inside, instantly hit with nostalgia.

Behind him, he heard Sam mutter,"Well.. This place hasn't changed a bit.."

He was right, it really hadn't. In fact, one might mistake it for an abandoned house if it wasn't for the absence dust and cobwebs, and the three people standing just inside the entrance.

Steve recognized those three well. It was Rhodey, Ms. Potts, and Vision. Though Steve was happy to see them, he also felt fear. The aura around them wasn't a welcoming one, it was one of anger and annoyance.

"Umm.. Good to see you all again.." Steve awkwardly began, trying to break the air of tension that flowed around them.

"Skip the formalities, Rogers," Rhodey cut in,"We're just here to make sure you guys get here and settle in. Nothing more, nothing less."

Though many didn't show it on the outside, they all inwardly winced. Gone were the days of sitting in Avengers tower, drinking, and laughing. All that was left was the pain from their fight.

Natasha was the first person to speak again, a little braver than the rest. "So you're not staying?" She asked,"What about War Machine?"

"War Machine is going into retirement, and so am I," Rhodey responded,"I can't handle the stress, and no that Tony- Now that he's gone, I just don't feel it anymore.."

Keeping her face neutral, Natasha nodded. "I understand, Rhodes," She said softly,"Thank you for being here to welcome us back."

Rhodey simply nodded, before turning to Pepper. The woman quickly said,"Your rooms are all cleaned and have been left the way they were before, Ross and I have to check in periodically to make sure everything is going fine. Other than that, or emergencies, I implore you to leave us alone."

The two left as quick as possible, their professional tone and clipped words making it very clear that they did not want to speak anymore. They broke through the Avengers as if they were just an obstacle. The Avengers didn' dare stop them, and simply watched them go.

Turning back to the last figure that remained, they found Vision staring at them as well. Wanda was obviously the most pained by his defensive behavior, as she reached a hand out to him. "Vision?" She hesitantly asked.

The android winced at the sound of her voice, and took a step backwards. Then, he quickly turned and floated away, and up through the ceiling. Wanda's eyes exploded with sadness, before she took off down the hall to follow after him.

As if Wanda cut a ribbon, all the others instantly started to disperse.

Clint pulled out his phone, leaving as he went to call Laura and the kids for the first time in years. Sam and Scott went pretty much the same way, heading away together to call their families. Natasha went off to lord only knows where, and even Bucky left. Steve tried not to be upset at being alone, he knew Bucky was stressed and nervous.. He probably needed to rest..

A stressed sigh escaped Steve. "Even though we're all back home, we're still as divided as ever.." He whispered sadly, and wandered down the hallway towards his room. There were other places he could go, but Steve felt like it would be wrong to do so.. Being alone was probably the best thing for him right now..

Even the sight of his own room pained him, however.

It was the exact same, and that just made everything worse. It reminded him of days that Tony would barge in, excited about new gear or just to make jokes. But Tony wasn't around anymore.. He was dead, and it hurt more than Steve wanted to admit.

He sat down, the bed creaking underneath him. Rummaging in his suitcase, he pulled out a familiar black cellphone. Flipping it open, he stared at the old fashioned screen.

He wished Tony would have called. Even if it wasn't for an emergency, if it was just to talk, he would have been so happy. But now, Tony was gone. There was no way he could see those mischievous brown eyes again, no way he'd hear that soft voice, and no way he could ever fix the rift in their relationship.

He could never say sorry..

All Steve could do was hold the phone in his hand, and wonder what could have been.

 _Little did he know, a certain someone across the world was thinking the exact same things.._


End file.
